News

International NGO statement on EU proceedings against Czech Republic over discrimination of Romani children

Budapest/Prague, 12.11.2014 19:23, (ROMEA) Tomorrow marks seven years since the European Court of Human Rights found the Czech Republic to be in breach of the European Convention on Human Rights with respect to unlawful discrimination of Romani pupils in the Czech education system. Seven years on, these violations of the right to education and discrimination have not been addressed and Roma pupils continue to experience segregated education across the country. On 25 September, in a response to the failure to address this ongoing unlawful situation with respect to EU anti-discrimination law, the European Commission launched infringement proceedings under the Race Equality Directive against the Czech Republic which could result in significant financial sanctions.  full story

Amnesty International issues Urgent Action over death sentence for blasphemy

Lahore, Pakistan, 12.11.2014 11:49, (ROMEA) Amnesty International reports that on 16 October, the High Court of Appeal in Lahore declined an appeal against the 2010 conviction of Asia Bibi, a Christian Pakistan woman sentenced to death under Section 295C of Pakistan’s Penal Code for allegedly insulting the Prophet Muhammad during an argument with a Muslim woman. There are very serious doubts as to the fairness of the entire trial.  full story

Czech court upholds local election in Vítkovice municipal department of Ostrava

Ostrava, 11.11.2014 23:16, (ROMEA) The local elections in the Vítkovice municipal department of Ostrava have now been certified. Yesterday the Regional Court in Ostrava rejected a lawsuit filed by Romani leader Josef Stojka over alleged vote-buying there.  full story

Czech Republic: Local Romani candidates not on executive, but do chair committee

Trmice, 11.11.2014 20:28, (ROMEA) The "Together for Trmice" (Společně pro Trmice) movement, which scored a significant success in the local elections in the town of Trmice (Ústí Region), will now be in opposition as a result of post-electoral negotiations there. Representatives of the movement will sit on the town's Audit Committee and will chair it.  full story

Czech Gov't research: Minimum wage jobs not worth it

Prague, 11.11.2014 18:51, (ROMEA) Agreeing to low-paying employment at the level of the minimum wage can, in some cases, lead to less income for a family than if its members were to remain unemployed and draw welfare. Many people have little financial motivation to accept such employment and low wages, including the minimum wage, play a significant role.  full story

EU takeover of Italian mission a catastrophe for Mediterranean migration

11.11.2014 17:26 After a year of operation, the Mare Nostrum humanitarian and military mission promoted by the Italian government to increase patrols in the Mediterranean Sea in order to prevent migrant shipwrecks came to an end on 1 November.  full story

Why the Czech President should resign

Prague, 9.11.2014 20:20, (ROMEA) It's interesting to follow the journalists, politicians and various internet scribblers who are responding to the diverse offenses of Czech President Miloš Zeman. Nothing could be clearer than their reactions.  full story

Czech law tightens housing benefit terms for residential hotels

Prague, 8.11.2014 22:25, (ROMEA) The disbursal of housing benefits directly to the operators of residential hotels will be restricted by a new law. The state will calculate the benefits based on the amount of space leased, not per person.  full story

Czech court reviewing motion to cancel local election results because of vote-buying

Brno, 7.11.2014 22:54, (ROMEA) Yesterday the Regional Court in Brno began to review a proposal to invalidate the local elections in the Brno-sever municipality. Local council member Petr Hladík (KDU-ČSL) filed the motion over suspicions of vote-buying.  full story

Czech Social Democrats clean house over local agreement with ultra-right

Prague, 7.11.2014 22:21, (ROMEA) Members of the national leadership of the Czech Social Democrats (ČSSD) told the Czech News Agency they have called on the party's executive committee in Ústí Region to close the local ČSSD organization in the town of Duchcov (Teplice district). Local representatives of ČSSD there have formed a coalition government with the right-wing extremist Workers' Social Justice Party (Dělnická strana sociální spravedlnosti - DSSS) as a result of the local elections.  full story

Neo-Nazi music group makes the Czech Republic's Top 10

Prague, 7.11.2014 21:06, (ROMEA) According to the preliminary results of this year's "Český Slavík" (Czech Nightingale) questionnaire about music preferences, the neo-Nazi band Ortel from Plzeň is among the Top 10 bands in the country. The group's hateful lyrics primarily target religious minorities and Romani people.  full story

Czech Republic: Ultra-right convict to be tie-breaker on local council

Duchcov, 7.11.2014 20:09, (ROMEA) Jindřich Svoboda, a member of the right-wing extremist DSSS party, is now also a member of the local government of Duchcov (Teplice district). Town councilors there elected Zbyněk Šimbera (Czech Social Democratic Party - ČSSD) mayor yesterday.  full story

The Roma Education Fund seeks a Consultant to carry out An external evaluation in the Czech Republic

Prague, 7.11.2014 12:14, (ROMEA) The project “Together to Pre-school” has been implemented by the Roma Education Fund and Municipal Government of Ostrava and is in its second year of implementation.  full story

Czech mayor allegedly bribed Romani voters with free beer and rap tickets

Brno, 7.11.2014 0:14, (ROMEA) Beer, cola and food for free as well as CZK 300 cash in exchange for casting a vote for a particular candidate. Today the Regional Court in Brno was scheduled to begin reviewing a case of alleged bribery during the local elections in Brno-sever municipality.  full story

Czech Government marks 25th anniversary of 1989 Velvet Revolution

Prague, 6.11.2014 23:17, (ROMEA) Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka has invited his ministers to a celebration of the 25th anniversary of the events of 17 November 1989. The commemorative evening at the Lichtenstein Palace will be held on 15 November and will be attended by the highest constitutional officials, representatives of the diplomatic corps, senators and MPs.  full story

Czech woman who threw bricks at police during anti-Romani demo gets suspended sentence

Ostrava, 6.11.2014 21:51, (ROMEA) On Wednesday, 5 November the District Court in Ostrava handed down its sentence against 19-year-old Petra Barnošáková for throwing several pieces of brick or rocks at police officers intervening against an anti-Romani demonstration in the Přívoz quarter of Ostrava last August. Barnošáková confessed to throwing the objects.  full story

Czech local council welcomes ultra-right into government, PM closes its SocDem cell in response

Duchcov/Prague, 6.11.2014 19:33, (ROMEA) The local organization of the Czech Social Democratic Party (ČSSD) in the town of Duchcov (Teplice district) has agreed to a coalition government of the town council with the right-wing extremist Workers Social Justice Party (Dělnická strana sociální spravedlnosti - DSSS). Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka, the ČSSD head, said the party's national leadership has distanced itself from the local coalition.  full story

Iranian woman gets two years for protesting ban on women attending sports matches

Teheran, Iran, 6.11.2014 12:29, (ROMEA) Ghoncheh Ghavami, age 25, is an English-Iranian woman arrested in Tehran this past June for trying to attend a volleyball match together with men. A court has now sentenced her to two years in prison.  full story

Romani transgender man, famous as subject of Czechoslovak film, commits suicide

Brno, 6.11.2014 2:47, (ROMEA) News server iDNES.cz reports that René Lízna, previously known as Eva Kováčová, has passed away. In the year 1984 the Romani girl set fire to a social care institute in the town of Měděnec in northern Bohemia, causing the death of 26 patients.  full story

Czech daycare club helps Romani parents who can't afford preschool

Ústí nad Labem, 6.11.2014 1:20, (ROMEA) News server Aktuálně.cz reports that the People in Need organization is in the second year of running a children's daycare group at the Mojžíř housing estate in Ústí nad Labem, serving Romani children. Approximately 10 preschoolers between the ages of three and five attend the group daily.  full story